


Not Made For Three

by LettingGoAndBeingFree



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Maiden Swan Queen, OT3, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 13:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3411734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LettingGoAndBeingFree/pseuds/LettingGoAndBeingFree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marian, Emma, and Regina try to share a tiny university bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Made For Three

“This isn’t going to work.” Regina grunted as she attempted to roll over in the uncomfortably small bed. She continued to slowly roll over onto her left side to face the women in bed beside her. 

She wasn’t able to make it all the way over, though, before a loud thump accompanied by a pained groan echoed in the small room. 

“What the hell?” Emma complained as she sat up and rubbed the back of her head where it hit the hard linoleum floor. 

“Are you okay?” Marian questioned, concerned as she shifted to the edge of the bed, a hand moving to cover Emma’s. She lightly pressed her fingers to the blonde’s scalp, assessing for injury. She was relieved to find there was nothing wrong. 

“I’m alright.” Emma reassured her, leaning into Marian’s touch as the other woman began massaging her scalp.

While Marian tended to their klutz of a girlfriend, though it wasn’t entirely Emma’s fault she ended up on the floor this time, Regina scooted out of bed and crossed the room to flip on the light. All three squinted at the harsh brightness of the fluorescent lighting. Regina walked back over to the other two, stopping just short of where Emma sat on the floor. She placed her hands on her hips, a stance both Marian and Emma were all too familiar with. Regina looked critically between her girlfriends and and the sorry excuse for a bed. 

“This isn’t going to work.” Regina sighed, exasperated, repeating her earlier complaint. 

“You already said that.” Emma mumbled under her breath, but the tightening of fingers in her hair and the death glared leveled at her told her that both Regina and Marian heard her. 

“You could always go sleep in your own room.” Regina suggested, even though they both knew it was an empty threat. 

“Don’t be like that Gina.” 

“Don’t call me that.” Regina snapped, her temper flaring faster than usual from her lack of sleep. 

Emma opened her mouth to respond, a mischievous smirk in place, but Marian, ever the peacemaker, cut her off. 

“Stop it. Both of you.” Marian gave each of them a meaningful look. They bickered like an old married couple. Emma got way too much enjoyment out of riling Regina up and Regina’s clear lack of sleep made her more susceptible to Emma’s picking. 

Emma shrunk back and leaned into Marian’s hand that was still absently weaving its way through her hair while Regina crossed her arms over her chest. She did not take kindly to being ordered around, no matter who it was. 

“Now I know the situation is less than ideal,” Marian continued when she was sure they were listening. Emma grunted her agreement and Regina tilted her head almost imperceptibly, but Marian picked up on it easily. “But bickering is only making it worse.” 

Emma and Regina donned rightfully guilty expressions, but Marian barely noticed because her girls looked absolutely exhausted. Regina looked like her eyelids were becoming too heavy to keep open and she swayed where she stood. Emma wasn’t doing much better with her head resting against Marian’s leg and she wasn’t even bothering to keep her eyes open. 

She was going to put an end to this right now. They all needed their sleep and it was clear that Emma and Regina had not been getting as much sleep as they’d lead her to believe. The separation that university brought to their sleeping arrangements was taking its toll on all of them. They’d gone from sharing a queen sized bed at Marian or Regina’s house, occasionally a twin sized bed when they were able to stay at Emma’s apartment when her foster parents weren’t home. But they couldn’t do anything about it. 

They hadn’t had this much a problem last semester because they’d been lucky enough to end up on the same floor, Regina and Marian had even been placed together as roommates. This semester was a completely different story. Something went wrong with their housing applications and they got stuck with random room assignments. They ended up in three separate buildings. Luckily enough Emma and Marian’s buildings were in a cluster of with a majority of the university’s residence halls, a five minute walk at most. Regina’s building on the other hand was across campus. 

Emma and Regina were both prone to nightmares for various reasons, so when the semester started they rotated between rooms a couple nights a week. After over of this they all came to the conclusion that it wasn’t working. No one was sleeping and Emma’s roommate didn’t really appreciate the overnight guests. It was doing more harm than good and they missed the comfort and security of having both their partners next to them. 

And that’s how they ended where they were now; sleep deprived, crabby, Regina falling asleep standing up, and Emma lightly snoring against Marian’s knee. Marian wasn’t as wasn’t as bad as the other two, she had time during the day to take a power nap during the day if she needed it., but if the didn’t get a decent amount of sleep soon it wasn’t gonna be pretty.

Marian eyed the laughably small bed she was sitting on. The thing barely slept one comfortably, trying to fit three people in one was impossible. She was suddenly struck with an idea as memories of the three of them squeezing into Emma’s twin sized bed not too long ago flooded her mind. Emma’s bed was wider of course, but if they squeezed as close as possible it just might work. 

Marian took charge and tapped Emma’s shoulder, causing her to jerk awake. Marian stood and held her hands out for her to take. 

“Up you go.” She prompted and Emma grasped her hands, not entirely awake. She hauled her to her feet and pulled her close, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead as she did so. 

“You first.” Marian directed, letting go of Emma’s hands and guiding the sleepy woman into bed with a gentle hand at the small of her back. 

Emma laid down on her side with her back to the wall, less than an inch away from the cool cinderblocks. Marian moved past Regina, who still stood with her arms crossed, to turn out the light. She passed her again without a word and crawled into bed beside Emma. She situated herself on her back and Emma wrapped her body around her almost instantly with her head resting on Marian’s stomach. 

Marian looked over at Regina and could see her sour expression in the mostly dark room. 

“There’s room for one more.” She said, offering her hand to Regina. 

“I’m going to fall out. It’s too small.” Regina argued, wrapping her arms tighter around her middle. 

“I won’t let you fall.” Marian insisted, her hand still outstretched to the stubborn woman. Regina raised a skeptical eyebrow, so Marian added, “I promise.”

Marian watched as the tension drained out of Regina’s body, but her arms remained where they were. Marian waited patiently with her hand still held out for Regina. It only took a moment or two before Regina saw the last of Regina’s resistance fade away and slowly stepped closer to the bed. When she was within reach, Marian gently coaxed and arm away from her body and pulled until Regina was bent over at the waist and their lips were only a breath apart. 

“I love you.” Marian whispered, feeling Regina’s breath on her face. 

Regina couldn’t help but smile at that. 

“I love you too,” she returned without hesitation. 

Marian leaned up to close the distance between them, pressing them against the plump ones above her in a chaste kiss. Regina pulled back, a brilliant smile lighting up her entire face. She wasted no time climbing in bed next to her partners. Marian shifted slightly to give Regina enough room to lay down without crushing Emma against the wall or waking her again. But Emma was already knocked out with her mouth hanging open and soft snores escaping. The would no doubt be a drool stain on Marian’s t-shirt in the morning, but it was a small price to pay. 

Regina settled herself next to Marian with her head on her chest, her steady heartbeat already lulling her back to sleep. She took a second to run her fingers through Emma’s messy blonde locks. 

“Sweet dreams,” she muttered and Emma unconsciously leaned into the touch. 

Regina felt Marian’s arm tighten around her and sighed contentedly as she drifted off to sleep.

Marian took the opportunity to just lay and watch Emma and Regina. Her two extremely hard exteriored women who could rarely go ten minutes without bickering were almost too adorable for Marian to handle. Emma with her mouth wide open, one hand clinging to Marian’s shirt in a vice like grip. The habit stemmed from Emma’s fear that when she woke up she and Regina would be gone. Marian had no intention of going anywhere anytime soon and neither did Regina. Regina was curled into herself as much as possible and her thumb slowly making it’s way to her slightly parted lips. She was embarrassed by the self-soothing habit, but Marian and Emma found it endearing, even though Emma teased her about it from time to time. 

Marian watched them a little longer, wondering how she’d gotten so lucky to be in love with not one but two amazingly wonderful women and have them love her back in equal amounts. It was a bit overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time. 

As she finally felt sleep begin to pull at the edge of her consciousness begin to drag her into peaceful oblivion, Marian knew that despite the hellish situation their sleeping arrangements had become, it was only a minor bump in the vast road ahead of them. And she couldn’t wait for the rest of the ride.


End file.
